Article: How chemistry software can drive the whole enterprise

The ChemOffice WebServer forms the heart of development and deployment of scientific information applications across an organisation. THOMAS HARDING explains.

With the strict regulatory and compliance issues now faced in the chemical, pharmaceutical and drug discovery markets, standardising on software across an organisation is becoming more and more necessary. Fortunately, for a number of years now, the developer of the world’s most familiar chemistry software, ChemDraw, has been expanding its portfolio into a complete enterprise-wide system which can handle almost every aspect of information management within these sectors.

First there is ChemOffice, a complete suite of software to support all the daily work of an individual scientist, which is now used all over the world. Then there are complete enterprise solutions and databases, built on ChemOffice WebServer, to help organisations collaborate and share information.

ChemOffice WebServer is compatible with major databases including Oracle, SQL Server and Microsoft Access, and is the platform for both custom applications and the many well-known dedicated applications in the ChemOffice line. It enables these familiar applications to integrate on an enterprise-wide basis, allowing users to keep the software they want to use, without inhibiting central management and information exchange.

ChemOffice Browser, with its ChemDraw Java, ActiveX, and the ChemDraw and Chem3D Plugins, brings the power and chemical intelligence of ChemOffice to Internet and intranet applications. It plays a major part in making applications and databases easier and faster for users to learn and for the IT staff to deploy. Using ChemOffice WebServer technology, along with familiar browser technology, overall costs are lowered and less time is required for implementation.

Cambridgesoft’s ‘Knowledge Management’ applications organise and distribute chemical information.
E-Notebook Enterprise streamlines daily record keeping with rigorous security and efficient archiving, and allows information retrieval by structure and text searching. Document Manager indexes the chemical structure content of documents, Discovery LIMS tracks laboratory requests, and 21CFR11 Compliance implements an organisation’s regulatory compliance processes.

Research and discovery applications include Registration System for managing proprietary compound information, Inventory Manager for reagent tracking needs, and chemical databases for complete management of chemical inventories. Formulations & Mixtures and Combi-Chem Enterprise also provide tailored approaches to managing chemical data.

BioAssay HTS and BioSAR Browser applications process biological assay data to pinpoint the structural determinants of biological activity. BioAssay HTS supports low, high and ultra-high throughput workflow, including sample and plate management, while BioSAR Browser probes structural details within assay data.

The Merck Index and ChemACX Database provide reference information, property estimations, and searchable compilations of commercially available chemicals.

An increasing number of major organisations are deciding that CambridgeSoft’s ‘enterprise solutions’ are the ideal way to integrate users’ everyday applications of choice with corporate-wide information systems. Others are introducing the software from the ground up. Either way, Adept Scientific’s chemistry software specialists are here to supply and support enterprise-wide systems with as much enthusiasm as they’ve always done (and still do) with individual desktop applications.